Miles’ Big City Debut In Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1

With all of the hype surrounding the release of “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” for the PlayStation 5, let’s look at an earlier comic rendition of Miles in Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 (2016), written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Sara Pichelli.

The Story

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 begins in a semi-decimated street in New York City, where Spider-Man (Miles Morales) stands before one of his more formidable foes: Blackheart. This so-called demon claims to have come from another dimension to subjugate Miles’ dimension, and the only thing standing between Blackheart and the fulfillment of his goal is Miles. In a very intense fight, Miles took Blackheart by surprise by using his Venom Strike ability, which temporarily incapacitated Blackheart.

He eventually fled the scene as Spider-Man (Peter Parker) entered. After Miles tried to explain himself to Peter, Blackheart returned and got a sneak attack on Peter, making him pass out. Although Miles was on his own, he was able to defeat Blackheart by repeatedly using his Venom Strike ability. His efforts did not go unnoticed, though, as both Captain America and Iron Man had regained consciousness and saw him take down Blackheart. Spider-Man also noticed Miles’ heroic efforts, and they all decided to keep Miles in their contacts.

News of Miles’ victory had spread like crazy after a short amount of time, and Miles’ Spider-Man had now become popular all across New York City, even among villains like The Black Cat and Hammerhead. Although his reputation as Spider-Man had been on the rise, Miles’ performance in school had tanked heavily, causing Miles’ mother to go as far as calling her mother to help set Miles straight.

The introduction of Miles’ grandmother ends up affecting his performance as Spider-Man after she took away his phone. Miles’ situation gets worse from there when his best friend, Ganke Lee, reveals his identity to Fabio Medina (formerly Goldballs of the X-Men). Miles storms out of school in anger and swings around the city in his suit. Out of nowhere, Miles was attacked by heat-seeking missiles sent by Hammerhead, and Miles ended up getting captured. Miles was awoken, unmasked, by the noise of Hammerhead and The Black Cat talking to each other about Miles as he was restrained in a chair. In an instant, Miles uses a Venom Burst to escape the restraints and take on Hammerhead as The Black Cat fled.

Miles bested Hammerhead and his gang by utilizing his Venom Strike powers and chased after The Black Cat. After a brief exchange of words, The Black Cat escaped into the city, and Miles was overwhelmed. Later that night, Miles returned to Brooklyn Visions Academy and was greeted by Ganke and Fabio, who had been worried sick about Miles since he couldn’t get in touch with him without his phone. Little did they know they were being watched from a distance by Jessica Jones…

The Substance

The story’s overall pacing presented in Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 flows very well, and it seems like Bendis nailed the “Miles has a very busy life” type of vibe. Miles’ main struggle in the story is maintaining his personal life while also trying to juggle with being New York’s second Spider-Man, and we see this take a toll on Miles’ personal life when Miles’s strict grandmother comes into Brooklyn to try to “set him straight.”

This would later take a toll on Miles’ ability to perform on the battlefield after his grandmother strips Miles of his cellphone, his central mode of communication both in his personal life and his superhero life, and he gets captured by Hammerhead and Black Cat, who unmasks him and now know who he is. I find it fascinating how much Miles is affected by this intrusion on his grandmother’s personal space. I also think it’s genius how Miles’ grandmother is structured to keep Miles in check at all times, hindering his ability to leave whenever he wants to fight crime.

The Minutiae

The art style of Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 is unique in the sense that it focuses more on the details of characteristics while simultaneously maintaining that “comic book” line art style. Pichelli does an astounding job capturing the comical facial expressions of each character and their semi-realistic body proportions. Pichelli’s usage of color throughout the story contributes quite nicely to the “serious, but sometimes funny” atmosphere presented to the readers.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 also has moments where the art style changes from the detailed style to a simpler, more chibi style of art. This change occurred when Miles remembered a moment he had with Peter Parker as they fought crime together. Still, the style’s utilization was very effective because the reader could tell that it was Miles’ memory of the events because of the cartoon-like style. This was a small yet nice touch to the overall style of art in the story.

The Verdict

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 presents a great story that is relatable to the younger generation and explores the challenges and dangers of living a double-life. This story diverges from the typical action-packed superhero comic by highlighting Miles’ personal life and how his actions affect those around him, like his family and friends. If you prefer a comic that focuses more on the social and personal aspect of Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, then this comic is just for you!